The Man Who Gave His Kidney Away

I found a cheap motel and made do for the night.

The next morning, there was a knock at the door.

Two female soldiers stood in the hallway, their posture straight, their bearing cold and disciplined. One of them raised her hand in a formal salute, her tone respectful.

"Are you Caleb Barnes? Commander Jennings instructed us to tell you to meet her at ten o'clock this morning in front of the City Hall."

I let out a long breath. Finally, the weight on my chest eased.

Nina and I had agreed to file for divorce at eight. I waited at the entrance.

Soon, I saw her arrive arm in arm with Theo, strolling in unhurriedly.

They were dressed in bright, flashy colors, as if they were about to walk down the aisle the next second.

Nina had been worried I might cause trouble, but when she saw how cooperative I was, she finally relaxed.

Suddenly, a factory worker suddenly rushed in and whispered urgently into Nina's ear.

Her face changed instantly. Her gaze turned sharp as a blade and stabbed straight at me.

"Caleb! They say you reported the factory, and now the Labor Department has shut it down! Have you completely lost your mind?!"

I ignored her, turning to leave.

But the next second, a hand clamped down on my throat.

The cancer had made me so feeble that I could no longer defend myself against anyone. Pain exploded through my neck. The crushing suffocation made my vision go black, my face flushing purple. My throat tickled violently.

"Pff—"

Dark red blood burst from my mouth, splattering across her hand.

Nina's pupils shrank. She immediately released me.

"Caleb… you—why are you coughing up blood?!"

Seeing blood, the people in the courthouse screamed in panic.

With blood filling my mouth, I propped myself up and struggled to stand, letting out a hoarse, bitter laugh.

"I told you… I'm terminally ill."

Only then did Nina seem truly shaken.

But Theo's eyes flickered with a dark glint. He suddenly cried out in a trembling voice, "Caleb, how could you lie to Nina? If you really were terminally ill, how could the hospital have let you sign the transplant consent form?"

He grabbed Nina's arm and whispered provocatively, "Nina, don't you think Caleb staged all this just so he wouldn't have to divorce you?"

Those words pushed Nina's fury to its peak.

"Caleb! I almost believed you! Since you love pretending you're dying, let's see how long you can keep up the act!"

In her rage, she kicked me hard in the stomach.

I slammed into the wall.

The stitches on my stomach split open. Flesh tore apart, and blood instantly soaked through my sweater.

Curled on the floor, I looked around desperately, trying to find that upright figure in military uniform.

But the next second, a leather shoe stomped down on my stomach again.

Pain drilled straight into my bones.

Nina looked down at me from above, mockery in her eyes.

"Caleb, I never realized how good an actor you are. Where did you even get all this fake blood?"

It felt as though my soul was being ripped in half. The pain was so severe I couldn't even open my mouth to argue.

"Stop!"

Two sharp female voices rang out from the doorway.

The two female soldiers from earlier rushed in, faces cold and stern as they quickly shielded me.

"He will be Commander Jennings's husband! How dare you lay a hand on him!"

But Nina burst out laughing.

"Caleb, if you're going to hire people to act, at least make it believable. Do you even know who Commander Jennings is? You think you can just make up someone like her?"

She sneered down at me.

"Did you seriously just scrape together a couple of random women to help you stage this little performance?"

Her eyes dripped with contempt as she loomed over me.

"You pathetic piece of trash! Still legally married and already running around with other women! Someone, go find a reporter right now and get pictures of them! I want the whole country to see what a shameless cheater looks like!"

Humiliation washed over me in an instant.

And then, a voice of absolute command cut through the chaos like thunder, "That's my man… and someone like you thinks you're worthy to touch him?!"